Peter Hodge, of Peter Hodge Camels, is bringing five of his 12 camels to this year's event, led by Handsome, an 11-year-old who was born on Peter's own property.
“I just like the fact that everyone wants a selfie with the camel,” Peter said.
“The front camel I use is called Handsome, and he loves getting pats and loves getting photos. So if anyone wants a photo, they can come and take one with him.”
It seems Handsome knows exactly what he’s famous for.
“He really, really likes being patted and photographed,” Peter said, before adding with a laugh, “he’s a handsome man.”
Peter’s bond with camels goes back decades.
“I’ve been doing camel rides for 34 years this year ... that's a long time,” he said.
“The camels have all been trained by me, some were born at my place, some came out of the wild, and they’re all really nice."
Not every camel makes the cut for rides, the more active ones head to Queensland for camel racing instead.
“The ones that give rides are very, very quiet, their temperaments are just gentle, that’s the main thing,” Peter said.
“Some camels are flighty and some are real quiet, so we pick the quiet ones out and train them. When they trust you, you can do anything with them, they’re good.
“Even though they come out of the desert, once you start handling them, they become really quiet.”
The rides are a hit with visitors of every age.
“Oh, the kids love it and adults love them too,” Peter said, recalling a recent Greek Festival in Melbourne where young and old lined up for a turn.
“It’s funny, because they’ve got a rocking motion when they walk, so it’s interesting seeing adults being more scared than the kids sometimes,” he laughed.
At Elmore, visitors can look forward to a relaxed 10-minute walk around the paddock, with plenty of chances to pat and photograph the camels along the way.
So bring your camera, Handsome’s ready for his close-up.
